Background

Many families in the newly formed state of Jharkhand in India depend on agriculture for their livelihood. In order for farmers to grow crops outside the monsoon season, and ensure an income all year round, irrigation is vital.

Many farmers have to rent costly diesel pumps for this irrigation. These are generally hired for short periods, meaning that the fields have to be flooded which wastes water, washes away top soil and is costly.

The Project

The project will enable not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation International Development Enterprises (India) (IDE-I) to expand appropriate technology treadle pumps to regions across India.

The treadle pump is a simple device developed by the IDE-I. It uses human power to pump water from wells, streams and lakes up to the fields. This allows farmers on the plains of India to grow crops all year round rather than wait for the monsoon. IDE-I is facilitating this process by organising manufacturers, distributors, agents and field engineers, as well as marketing the pumps to villages. Villagers pay for the pumps, which have a life of over 10 years, cost savings are soon made on diesel while improved crop yields increase household income.

The emission reduction baseline is diesel use. Analysis currently puts emissions savings at about 450 kg of CO2 per pump per year. The calculations are currently being assessed by independent experts. Additionality will be measured against the small scale CDM guidelines. Treadle pumps are not used widely and there are numerous barriers to overcome in making this market – carbon finance gives the NGO a long term source of income, reducing the need for the donor funding upon which it has relied to date and providing the ability to expand the operations.

image: diesel pump replacement forms the baseline reduction

Other benefits

Socio-economic: Treadle pumps can be used whenever the farmer needs to irrigate, rather than having to wait to hire a diesel pump from large landowners, often for long periods which means many crops suffer from lack of irrigation in the intervening period. The farmers also have to repeatedly pay expensive hiring fees and diesel costs. Using the treadle, households benefit from an increased income due to the ability to grow more and diverse crops; a study by The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) found an increase in the cultivated acreage of up to 255% in some villages where the treadle pump had been adopted, meaning more crops to take to market, and greater variety in the families’ diet.

According to a report by the Acumen Fund into the impact of treadle pumps on the welfare of children, 100% of households in Uttar Pradesh had changed their diet since installing the treadle pump - by eating green leafy vegetables - and 83% of households were able to add milk to their diet, on account of being able to afford to buy livestock.

image: the manually operated pump preserves top soil

Read a report on the benefits of the treadle pump for children's welfare: 'A fairy tale for all?'

Environmental: The manually operated pumps do not produce any GHG emissions. They are also less damaging to the quality of the top soil compared with diesel pumps, as the speed of discharge of water is lower, meaning less of the fertile top soil is washed away. Preservation of top soil means that over time the farmers have to add less fertiliser. The treadle pump well is dug manually, whereas the diesel well is dug mechanically, thereby reducing fossil fuel use and local pollution during installation.

Technological: The pump is simple to install, operate and maintain, and addresses the gap between demand for irrigation services and the ability of poorly paid farmers to purchase these services. Owning a pump gives the farmer greater independence and means he is better equipped to tend to his crops. This is an appropriate technology which farmers choose to invest in.

image: farmers benefit from increased produce and income.